Hello and welcome back to practicing human, the podcast where every day we're getting a little better at life.

I'm your host, Corey Miscara, and in today's episode, we're going to talk about complaining or rejoicing.

More to come on that in a moment. First, let's settle in together with the sound of the bells.

Okay. Okay, I'd like to start this episode off with a quote, the author of which is unknown at the moment.

And it says, you can complain that roses have thorns,

or rejoice that thorns have roses.

You can complain that roses have thorns,

or rejoice that thorns have roses.

So this is one of those quotes that it's very simple.

You could even write it off as trite.

But if you really feel into it, it can pack a punch

and it can point to a reorienting toward our experience that can be quite profound in its fullest expression.

Now, this is talking about roses and thorns that come with roses, but it's a great analogy for life, because life has roses and

life has thorns. But the message of this quote isn't just to embrace the roses and the thorns.

It's a particular way of orienting toward each of those, and so you can look at the roses and the thorns. It's a particular way of orienting toward each of those. And so you can

look at the roses of life, the goodness of life, the gift of being alive and all that comes with that

and complain that this also comes with thorns. Or you can look at the thorns,

the pains that might be there,

and rejoice that this also comes with roses.

Can you feel how that's different

than just saying embrace the good and the bad?

It's a particular way of relating to the pain that could be there, the inherent discomfort and frustration and suffering that comes with life.

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